Change comes to Southbrook: St Mary’s Anglican Church

A landmark in Southbrook Road since the early days (the foundation stone says 1879, but I’m not sure if that was for the current building), St Mary’s was an adjunct to St John the Baptist Church in Rangiora.

The site is now subject to a resource consent application from the business that operates Rangiora Mazda, on the other side of the road. They are being forced to relocate because their current site is part of where Foodstuffs have applied for planning permission for a new Pak n’ Save supermarket.

The application for the St Mary’s site says that the church will be incorporated into the design of the site that will need to be developed.

Quite clearly, and assuming consent is given, the site will look very different.

This is a further example of how Southbrook is growing into an ever-more-important business node for the District.

Hi David,
Would you have a photo of the Hall which was behind this Church. I am in the process of doing a history of Indoor Bowls in North Canterbury and would like a photo of all the halls used for this sport. St Mary’s was a tiny hall and could only hold 2 mats. You may know of someone who may have taken a photo before it was removed.
Many thanks
Pam.

Hi Pam
No, I don’t have a photo and I can’t really thinkof anyone who has – perhaps someone in the present congregation, like Anne Jelfs or Helen Hurst. Do you realise that the hall still exists? It was shifted to Northbrook Studios where it is now doing duty as gthe workshop of the North Canterbury Woodcraft Club.

Hi Laura. My understanding is that Rangiora Mazda are leaving it there and are putting their building alongside it. Driving past yesterday, I saw that the east wall of the new building (i.e. the one facing Southbrook Road) has a distinct “church” shape about it.